Apparatus for handling invalids, deformed persons, or the like.



A. SKEFFINGTO'N. APPARATUS POR HANDLING'INVALIDS, DEPORMED PERSONS, 0R THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 14, i910.

1,085,879. Patent-,ed Feb.3,1914.

z SHEETS-sum1'.

Y W www Am In() M Ani? ` A. SKBPIINGTON. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING INVALIDS, DEPORMED PERSONS, OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 14, 1910.

1,085,879. Patented Feb.3,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cu..W^sHxNGroN. D. c.

y ARTHUR SKEFFINGTON, 0F BLACKl-IEA'TH, LONDON, VEING-LANID.

ArPAnATUs ron HANDLING rNvALrns, Dn'ronivrnn reasons, on THE LiKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 14, 191'0.

Patented Feb. '3, 1914.

serial No. 555,532.

To all 'who n t may concern:

lreadily moved.

This invention relates to the type of apparatus wherein a roller operated drawsheet or the like is employed to move the patient the roller apparatus being carried by the frame of the bed. It has been proposed heretofore to variously situate such rollers, but none of the constructions so far proposed appear to offer the best advantages from the point of view of efficiency and simplicity combined. The vario-us forms of apparatus so far suggested have been of a complicated character and this it is believed has prevented their being generally known on the market.

The present invention is intended to provide an apparatus that is of the same type as those referred to, but that dispenses with all auxiliary devices and is in itself ex-' tremely simple.

This invention consists in providing apparatus of the type described that for moving the patient toward the head of the bed has only one roller arranged on the inner side of the upright frame at the head of the bed and a draw-sheet suspended free from it. A second roller similarly arranged on the inside of the end frame at the foot of the bed may be employed and the other end of the draw-sheet may be attached to it so that by pulling the draw-sheet tightbetween them the patient may be lifted bodily off the bed. This constitutes an extremely simple apparatus as the draw-sheet being free does not pass under any guide rollers or over any intermediate lifting rollers but passes direct to the single or to the two rollers that constitute both the lifting and winding rollers and the situation of these between the upright frames of the bed, renders the whole apparatus compact.

Other details of the apparatus constitute part of this invention and such are hereinafter fully described andthe novel features pointed out in the claims.

.In the accompanying drawingsz-Figifire 1 'is a perspective view showing a bed 4fitted with apparatus 4constructed according to'one method of carrying lout this invention; Fig. 2 shows a vdetail of Fig. l on a larger scale for the sake -of clearness; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a'detail of Fig. l; Fig. Ll is a front elevation of a modified form of apparatus; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic vie-W showing in side elevation another arrangement of apparatus constructed according to this invention, and Fig. 6 is a front elevation of yet another modification according to this invention.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

Secured to the uprights A of the head of the bed are four rods B B1 and C C1. rods B B1 are placed on opposite sides of the posts A and are clamped to the posts by links B2 having set screws B3. The rods C C1 are also placed on opposite sides ofthe The posts and below the rocks B B1 being held in place by links C2 and set screws C3. The rods may be clamped direct to the posts A if desired, but preferably wood blocks D are interposed. These blocks have a vertical groove D1, Fig. 3, on `one face shaped to receive the posts and a horizontal groove l)2 on the opposite face to receive the rods. Carried on the rods B and C are two brackets E and El. The bracket E is placed on the ends of the rods that project beyond the post A on the near side of the bed as shown in the gure, but the bracket E1 is situated near the post on the far side of the bed but on the near side of the post. The brackets are secu-red by set screws E2. Each bracket has a bearing to receive one end of a lifting and winding rolle'i` F, the ends of the roller being journaled where they enter the bearings. The journaled end of the roller that rests in the bearing provided in the bracket E extends beyond the bearing and carries a worm wheel F1 and the bracket E is provided with ears E3 which support a spindle F3 carrying a worm F2 that meshes with the wheel F1. The end of the spindle F3 is squared and receives a crank handle F4. Extending over the bed is a draw-sheet G which may lie under the sheet or other cover'- ing upon which the patient lies and one end of this sheet is firmly attached to the roller F, but hangs freely there-from. The operation of this part of the apparatus is as fol lows :-It is well known, that patients in a weak condition gradually slip down from the head of the bed and considerable effort is needed to replace them. By means of this apparatus, however, it is only necessary to turn the handle F4t so that the roller will be rotated in such direction as to pull upon theend of the sheet Gr and wind it on to the roller. The patient will thus he moved over the bed in a horizontal position with very little etlort as the purchase given by the worm F2 and the worm-wheel F1 is very considerable. 1t will be seen that in addition to moving the patient toward the head of the bed, the apparatus if placed high enough may be employed to raise the patient into a sitting position,A the winding upon the sheet being merely continued for this purpose after the head of the patient has been brought t0 the head of the bed.

The rods B B1 and C C1 are convenient for securing the apparatus to the frame o the bed as they can be readily clamped on to any bed provided they are of suiticient length to eXtend from one post to the other and the wood blocks may be stocked in various sizes so that blocks having the groove D1 shaped to the size of the post which the apparatus is to be applied to may always be sent out with the mechanism. Gbviously where the posts are square, as for example in a bedstead having a wooden head, the blocks may be dispensed with and even where the posts are round, a suiiicient grip j can be obtained without the use of blocks.

According to a modification of this inven tion a second roller H is mounted at the opposite end ot the bed. Theroller is carried by rods H1 and brackets H2, which parts are the same as those already described with reference to the roller F and a worm and worm-wheel H3 H4t is provided for operating the roller. The squared end H5 of the spindle of the worm H3 may be made the same size as the squared end ot the spindle F4 of the worm F2 so that the crank handle F4 can be used to operate either worm. The roller H has rigidl secured to it the lower end of the draw-s eet G and can be used for returning the draw-sheet after it has reached the limit of its movement toward the head of the bed. The same roller however may be employed in conjunction with the roller F to raise the patient vertically from the bed while in a lying position and maintaining the patient vertically above the bed while the latter is re-arranged. All that is necessary for this is that one or both of the rollers shall be rotated to take up all the slack of the draw-sheet and haul the sheet tight so that it is extended from the top of one roller to the top of the other, as shown in chain lines at G1. The patient can thus he lifted by the draw-sheet while still in a lying position and access can be had to the bed for the purpose of re-arrangements.

In Fig. a two wooden supports J are shown connected by a tie-piece J1. The wooden supports provide bearings for a roller K and one of the supports has rotatably mounted upon it the worm gearing K1. It will be seen that the supports J can be strapped to the posts A ot the bedstead instead of using the rods B B1 and C C1.

In some cases it may be desirable to use an endless draw-sheet. Such an arrangement is shown diagrannnatically in Fig. 5 where the endless sheet L passes over rollers Ll L2, one of which is situated at the head o1 the bed and the other at the foot of the same. In this case the roll-er Llis rotated by the gearing for the purpose of advancing the draw-sheet and in order that it may grip the sheet a second roller L3 may be mounted above it and made to bear forcibly upon the sheet and roller L1 by means of springs L4, these engage bearing blocks L5 that are free to slide in a supporting bracket LG which would in this case take the place of the bracket E El.

It' desired the apparatus may be arranged to swing about a pivot the axis of which is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the bed. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. G where a wooden or other support M is secured by any convenient means to the frame of the bed. Fivoted at Ml to the board M is a second board M2 carrying the roller N and operating gear N1. The drawsheet can thus be wound on to the roller as before and by swinging the board M2 about the pivot M1 so as to tilt the roller N the end of the draw-sheet attached to the roller is similarly tilted and the patient thereby turned over on either side as required for comfort or other purposes.

It will be appreciated that if the patient is lying in the center of the draw-sheet there will be a tendency to draw the sides of the sheet inward, and to counteract this tendency the roller is preferably made ot' greater diameter in the center than at the ends, as is clearly shown in Fig. l.

It will be observed that by the provision of the roller-supporting brackets and the means for detachably clamping them to the upright trame or frames of the bed, said brackets can be adjusted vertically on said trame or trames, thus enabling the roller or rollers to be positioned at various heights, which is a decided advantage over those constructions where the rollers have no vertical adjustment.

lVhat 1 claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In apparatus for handling invalids upon a bed, the combination with a bedstead, ot transverse rods in pairs whereof one is situate-d inside and one outside the end frame, clamps drawing each pair of transverse rods together and securing them on the end frame, a bracket extending between and slipped upon the inner rods of an upper and lower pair of transverse rods and projecting inward from the end frame toward the other end of the bed, a worm gear on said bracket, another bracket slipped on said inner rods, means Jfor clamping said brackets when adjusted on said rods, bearings in said brackets, a roller extending transversely of the bed and mounted in said bearings, a worm wheel on said roller engaging said worm gear, and a draw sheet secured to said roller and extending over the bed.

2. In apparatus for handling invalids upon a bed, the combination with a bedstead, of transverse rods in pairs whereof one is situated inside and one outside the end frame, and whereof both project at one end beyond the end frame, clamps drawing each pair of transverse rods together and gripping them upon two upright members on the end frame, a bracket extending between and slipped upon the projecting ends of the inner rods of an upper and lower pair of transverse rods and projecting inward from the end frame toward the other end of the bed, a worm gear on said bracket, another bracket slipped o-n said inner rods, means for clamping said brackets when adjusted on said rods, bearings in said brackets, a roller extending transverselyT of the bed and mounted in said bearings, a worm stead, of transverse rods in pairs whereof one is situated inside and one outside the end frame, two-part blocks embracing one of two upright members on the end frame and interposed between the transverse rods and said upright members, clamps drawing each pair of transverse rods together and gripping them on said blocks and on said upright members, a bracket extending between and slipped upon the inner rods of an upper and lower pair of transverse rods and projecting inward from the end frame toward the other end of the bed, a worm gear on said bracket, another bracket slipped on said inner rods, means for clamping said brackets when adjusted on said rods, beartransversely of the bed and mounted in said bearings, a worm wheel on said roller engaging said worm gear, and a draw sheet ings in said brackets, a roller extending secured to said roller and extending over the bed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR SKEFFINGTON.

Iitnesses A. M. HAYwARD, VALTER IFI. DERRIMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

